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Thursday, May 29, 2014

Trying to market Date Shark has been a challenge since I'm used to targeting teens, but Date Shark has made it up to 10 review (yeah!!!) and I felt like that deserved a preview from book 2 (for which I still haven't come up with a title for yet).

This scene was inspired by all the awesome readers who shared their worst date stories :)

Oh and please excuse the French... literally... I haven't had it checked for syntax errors yet. I will be calling on Liilia soon.

~*~

Again, the thought crossed his mind that this was all Sabine’s fault. Eli had been set up with Lewis to take over the remaining Date Shark clients already on the schedule until he met Sabine. Guy knew his sister was très magnifique. She was a European fashion model, after all. Could she not tone it down on occasion? Like when it might end up dragging her brother into being Chicago’s newest, not-so-willing Date Shark?

“The client’s issue is what?” Guy asked.

Hedging, Eli said, “Why don’t you just wait and see?”

Fantastique, Guy thought. That bad? He settled back in his chair and sighed. Drinks had been ordered, and appetizers were being contemplated by the time a commotion at the front desk brought the maître ‘d with the terrible French accent tripping in her six inch heels to cut off a woman carrying the largest purse Guy had ever seen.

“Mr. Walsh, Mr., uh, Guy,” she said, apparently not wanting to make a second attempt at his last name.

“Your third guest arrived. I tried to tell her …”

Standing slowly, Eli tried not to let his embarrassment show, but Guy knew him too well to be deceived. He faced the frazzled maître ‘d and said, “It’s okay, Lauren. I’ll handle it from here.”

“But, but she …”

“I already spoke to Conrad about it.”

Lauren’s shoulders dropped and her hands flapped against her body once, defeated. She simply turned and walked away after that. Guy was tempted to do the same. What did the purse hold? Should he be concerné?

“Deliah,” Eli said politely, “thank you for coming, though I believe we already had a discussion about the insects.”

Insectes? Guy thought, his stomach turning involuntarily. He could not be serious, nes pas? Surely she did not … Oh, but she did. Guy watched with a strange mix of horror and fascination as Deliah carefully began pulling variously sized boxes out of her bag and setting them on the table. The tarantula wasn’t so bad, but the hundreds of meal worms wriggling against each other and the giant black and red centipede thing had both Guy and Eli squirming and scooting away from the table.

“I know what you said, Mr. Walsh, but how could I leave them at home? Mortimer escaped and tried to eat everything the last time I left them alone,” Deliah said as if that excuse made it acceptable to bring a possible infestation to a restaurant.

“Mortimer? Qui est-ce?” Guy asked, barely managing to get out the words without gagging.

“Mortimer,” Deliah said, “is my python.”

She looked at him expectantly. Guy wasn’t sure if she was waiting on him for a response of some kind, or confirmation that she wasn’t a complete maniaque, but there was no chance of either from Guy. This woman was clearly crazy. How did Eli expect to fix her?

“Deliah, why don’t you take a look at the menu?” Eli said, more calm than he was a few minutes prior. “The waitress will be returning to take our orders shortly.”

“Oh! Of course,” she said, “I just had one more …”

Guy and Eli weren’t the only ones to jump back in surprise when Deliah pulled out a caged bee the size of her palm.

“Bordel de merde!” Guy exclaimed at the sight of it. Even in a cage, the thing had Guy scrambling out of his chair. “What is that?”

“A Japanese giant hornet,” Deliah explained happily.

She seemed completely oblivious to Guy’s discomfort and Eli’s head in his hands. She held the cage closer to Guy and it took everything he had not to bat it out of her hand. Only the fear of the lid springing off when it hit the ground and coming after him kept him from lashing out. That and the fact that he was très allergique to bees and preferred not to end the night in the Emergency Room.

Holding his tongue was not so easy, though. “Put that …”

“Deliah,” Eli interrupted before another round of French curse words spilled out of Guy’s mouth. “We have already discussed how your insect collection might make other people uncomfortable. Guy has a severe allergy to bees, and whether or not that translates to Japanese giant hornets, he is not comfortable having it thrust in his face.”

For a moment, Deliah just stood there, holding the trapped monstrosity out in front of Guy. Her brows scrunched together, possibly trying to figure out why her repulsive bug collection would upset anyone. Eventually, she shrugged and sat the plastic cage down on the side of the table furthest from Guy. She managed to find her seat shortly after. Both she and Eli moved on from the incident as if nothing had even happened. Guy supposed that in Deliah’s twisted mind, nothing had. Eli was simply a better actor than he.

“Sauve-moi,” Guy muttered under his breath. He knew no one was going to save him, though. Not this time. Sabine was going to pay for this.

~*~

I hope you had fun with this! Feel free to comment with any other interesting date stories you might have :) I hoping to have this one ready for publication in early fall, so keep checking back for updates!

Monday, May 26, 2014

People who know me know how much I struggle with marketing, but it's a necessary part of being an author, so I've been learning more about it. One aspect I've come to realize is how import is the visual aspect of marketing is. Take the picture to the side. It grabs your attention more than the title alone, right?

Now, I'm not talking about book covers. We all know how important having a professional, eye-catching book cover is. Let's take that concept and apply it to our marketing efforts.

Pintrest/Blogs

Many of us are addicted to Pintrest. 70 Million of us, in fact. Pintrest is a digital scrapbook/pin board where you can store your favorite websites. It's come to replace my bookmarks in my browser because it's easier to organize and navigate.

What to consider when marketing:

Put pictures in your blog posts! If your blog post doesn't have pictures,readers can't pin it to their boards.

Don't use your book cover as your only graphic. Spice it up. You should be pinning your posts and book promotions onto your Pintrest boards as well. If it's just your book cover over and over again, it's tough to differentiate the links, and it's boring.

Vertical Images are best on Pintrest. The boards are arranged in vertical rows, so your pins will display better if there made to fit the layout.

Twitter

Twitter now allows you to post pictures along with your tweets. You can't schedule a picture post, however, so make sure you're popping in every once in a while to post your pictures, and not just relying on scheduled posts through TweetDeck or Hootesuite.

What to consider when marketing:

Twitter recently changed the homepage layout, making it more important that pictures posted post on Twitter are rectangular. They should be about a 2:4 ratio with the long side being the the horizontal side.

Tweets with pictures get significantly more retweets and clickthroughs. I've seen a range of percentages reported from 3x to 10x. Either way, it pays to use pictures on Twitter.

Facebook

Posting pictures on Facebook is nothing new, but it is a newer feature that you can post pictures in comments. Use that to your advantage if someone asks for book suggestions, etc.

What to consider when marketing:

Remember, posts that include a picture get more "Likes," "Shares," and clickthroughs. Formatting pictures for Facebook is similar to Twitter. They should be rectangular in shape so the preview doesn't get distorted. Readers may miss something important!

Now, if you're like me and devote some time to posting promotional links for your books on Facebook groups meant for that purpose, don't just post the link and let it show a preview of your book cover. If you let Facebook choose your preview, the models on your cover might get their heads chopped off, like what happens when I post a link for Date Shark. Control what readers see by creating an image to share that contains all the pertinent info for your promo in the right format.

Instagram

I don't use Instagram...yet. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually. What I do know is that it only posts square images.

What to consider when marketing:

This one's pretty simple. Make some square images that contain info about your book/promo.

What if I'm not artistic?

For those authors who aren't particularly artistic, and don't have artistic friends or funds to have them created, have no fear! There are some great, easy to use sites like Canva.com and Picmonkey.

Canva even has templates ready-made for all the different social media sites, which is pretty awesome!

Picmonkey also has lots of stock photos you can incorporate into your designs.

If you are artistic, but don't want to shell out money for Photoshop, download a copy of GIMP. It's free and can do pretty much whatever a graphic artist needs.

Friday, May 23, 2014

We're coming up on summer, let's get to reading!

I'll be sharing my official summer reading list recommendations in the next few weeks (There are some awesome books on it!), but until then, you're more than welcome to grab one of these FREEBIES and share them with your friends. All of them. Seriously.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Want a chance to win a copy of my new book, Date Shark?

Limitless Publishing thought you might ;)

So, here's your chance! First check out a sneak peek at Eli and Leila's story, not to mention the beautiful cover art, then scroll down and enter the giveaway on the Rafflecopt widget.

Last step...share the giveaway with your friends!

Blurb

Life as the marketing director for a popular fashion boutique is overwhelming for Leila Sparrow, to say the least.

She's not sure what ever possessed her to add revamping her dating life to her already hectic schedule. Calling in renowned Date Shark, Eli Walsh seemed like a good idea until she actually met with him...

Date Shark was only meant to be a side-enterprise to his thriving couple's therapy practice, but Eli Walsh knows it's become more of an obsession.

At least, it was until he agreed to take on Leila. Somehow she has stolen his entire focus. He wants to admit his fascination with her and growing romantic interest, but he knows coming on too strong will scare her away.

His plan to convince her that she is worth any man's interest by first being her friend is challenged when his tips start to pay off and Leila begins dating Luke.

Will his friendship with Leila mean the end to any romantic pursuit?

Excerpt

Despite the fact that Eli held his arm out for Leila to take again like they were some kind of fairytale couple, she started forward without him. Pierce was there to open the door for her. Leila gave him a polite goodbye, careful to watch the inclined entrance as she left. The city air outside the restaurant was undoubtedly filled with pollution and ick, but she breathed it in anyway. She had such high hopes for tonight. All she wanted to do now was climb into bed and pretend she didn’t have to meet with Eli the next day.

“Where did you park?” Eli asked.

He was smart to guess Leila hadn’t used the valet. She had never been to a restaurant that had a valet, so she hadn’t been sure how it worked. Every once in a while Leila thought ahead and prevented herself from doing something stupid. “I’m three blocks down. I couldn’t find a space near the restaurant.”

“North or south?”

“Um, south,” she said, glancing that direction then back at Eli. It must have rained while they were inside. Leila wasn’t too worried about her shoes, but she worried Eli’s monkstrap dress shoes and tailored slacks might not survive the trek. The crisp April air made the dampness even more profound. “Look, Eli, you’re sweet to offer to walk me to my car, but I know you have better things to do. You don’t need to feel obligated since …”

“Since this isn’t a real date?” he finished.

Leila nodded.

“Real date or not,” Eli said, placing her hand on his arm, “I have no intention of letting a young woman walk three city blocks at night all alone. Lead the way, Leila.”

He was really only offering because his sense of chivalry was several notches higher than the majority of the male gender, but Leila still found herself smiling at his kindness. She clutched onto his arm a little more tightly and started forward. The three blocks passed quickly, but without incident. Leila was sure it was the nicest part of the whole night.

When they reached her car, Eli said, “Are you still all right meeting for lunch tomorrow?”

“Yes,” she said after a moment’s hesitation.

“Good. I will see you tomorrow at The Fifth Street Café. Twelve o’clock.”

“I’ll be there,” Leila said, even though she would rather be just about anywhere else.

Smiling as though he knew exactly what she was thinking, Eli opened the car door for her. Before she could get in Eli stopped her. His hand resting lightly on her shoulder made Leila’s tense muscles bunch up even more. “Hey,” he said, “relax. Go home and do something just for you. You should feel good, proud of yourself.”

“Why?” Had they been on different fake dates tonight?

“Because if nothing else, you just survived a night with the most notorious date shark in the city.”

Leila slid into her car and touched her cheek. He must do that for everyone, she thought, but her skin seemed to pulse where he had kissed her. The only thing that broke up her amazement was Eli’s comment about tonight. She hadn’t survived the most notorious date shark in the city yet. Tomorrow she would get to hear about all the ways she screwed up. There was no way she was surviving that.

Psst, if you're one of those people who never win anything (like me), you can grab DATE SHARK for 0.99 right now on Kindle!! Hurry, I have no idea how long the sale will last :)

Monday, May 12, 2014

This spring has been a marathon of book releases!

Two books, that's not to bad, so how did it turn into releasing FIVE books within four months?

It started with the fact that the publisher I was signed with at the time was not holding up their end of the bargain and I was very unhappy with them. I ended up breaking contract and taking Wicked Hunger back. I wasn't looking for another publisher (I was pretty done with that by then), but my friend Leah recommended Clean Teen Publishing to me. Now, Leah always has the best ideas, so naturally, I listened.

At the same time, another friend and fellow author, the talented Apryl Baker, recommended her publisher, Limitless Publishing, to me for Invisible, which was doing really well on Wattpad then and now.

So, I decided to test them both out. I sent a query for Wicked Hunger to CTP and one for Invisible to Limitless. CTP got back right away and absolutely loved Wicked Hunger and wanted the whole series. They were so put together and excited, I decided to risk what could possibly be another bad publishing experience, and signed the series with them. I am absolutely thrilled that I did because they have been amazing, and that added two more books to my spring release schedule, since Wicked Power was nearly finished at the time.

Limitless had been inundated with queries at the time I submitted, since the only rarely open up for
submissions, and by the time they got to Invisible they had already closed YA submissions. But... they still read the book, liked my writing, and asked if I had a contemporary romance. As it so happened, I did! I sent them Date Shark, which was scary because NO ONE else had read it (I don't recommend this), but they loved it and offered me a contract for a three book series. I was thrilled, and it added one more book to the spring schedule, topping it off at 5.

This spring has been incredibly hectic having released two indie books and three traditionally published books, but I wouldn't trade the craziness for anything. I now have 13 published books, all of which I am so thrilled to share with my readers. Wicked Hunger and Wicked Power are doing awesome thanks to the tireless hard work of the CTP team, and Date Shark just hit the digital and regular shelves. I consider myself so amazing blessed to have found two publishers willing to get behind me and my books, even when I'm up late at night finishing edits or writing blog tour posts or sharing links on every Facebook group known to man. I also have some of the most amazing fans who share my books with anyone who will listen and never lose their enthusiasm.

If you want to see what all the craziness has been about, you can find my new releases here:

So, what's coming up this summer?

Lots and lots of writing. My Wattpad fans are waiting for Invincible (Aerling Series #3) as patiently as the possibly can. CTP is eager for Wicked Glory (Someone Wicked #3). Limitless has Date Shark #2 on the schedule. I also have Oracle Lost outlined and waiting patiently for its turn. It'll be a busy summer, but I'm looking forward to it!

Friday, May 9, 2014

When It Comes to Choosing Between Obsession and Passion,

Some Lines are Meant to Be Crossed

Life as the marketing director for a popular fashion boutique is overwhelming for Leila Sparrow, to say the least. She’s not sure what ever possessed her to add revamping her dating life to her already hectic schedule. Calling in renowned Date Shark, Eli Walsh seemed like a good idea until she actually met with him. She isn’t supposed to be fantasizing about her dating coach. Leila knows he only sees her as a client, but when their business relationship becomes more of a friendship, it’s hard not to imagine what might be.

His Date Shark business was only meant to be a side-enterprise to his thriving couple’s therapy practice, but Eli Walsh knows it’s become more of an obsession. At least, it was until he agreed to take on Leila. Somehow she has stolen his entire focus. He wants to admit his fascination with her and growing romantic interest, but he knows coming on too strong will scare her away. His plan to convince her that she is worth any man’s interest by first being her friend is challenged when his tips start to pay off and Leila begins dating Luke. Will his friendship with Leila mean the end to any romantic pursuit?

For any of you who don't know Karin, her fantasy novels are absolutely amazing. I'm very picky about fantasy, and I don't try new authors very often, but you can't go wrong with the Eolyn Chronicles. You won't regret grabbing a copy of her books.

Now it's my turn. Let's find out more about Leila Sparro from Date Shark!

1. What is the name of my main character? Is he/she fictional or historical?

Leila Sparro is fictional, but she adores old film stars like Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. Her frequently pessimistic attitude about life in general might make you think she wouldn't like movies like Holiday Inn or My Fair Lady, but she'll watch the classics over anything modern any day of the week.

2. When and where is the story set?

Date Shark is set in modern day Chicago. Leila is fairly new to the area and still trying to navigate her way around the city. Luckily, she makes a few friends who are determined to help her explore a little more.

3. What should we know about her?

Leila is smart and creative, but she has a hard time seeing her full potential. She knows she has a few talents, but stepping outside of what she knows she can do well isn't something she's comfortable with. Soon, she won't have a much of a choice, though.

4. What is the personal goal of the character?

When Leila calls in Date Shark, Eli Walsh, her goal is to figure out what she's doing wrong when it comes to dating, but soon she realizes her goals are much deeper than that. Discovering what it means to truly love someone, to take a leap of faith and risk being hurt, becomes the real question.

5. What is the main source of conflict, what messes up her life?

Hiring a dating coach is one thing, finding herself falling for him is something else entirely. Especially when Leila begins dating Luke, thanks to Eli's great coaching. Luke is wonderful and pushes her to explore life and not be afraid, but Eli could be everything she's always wanted. If she makes the wrong choice, it could mean losing them both forever.

6. Is there a working title of this story and can we read more about it?

The final title is Date Shark, and it's the first book in this series. Book 2 is still untitled, but you can find out more about the series on my blog page.

7. When can we expect the book to be published?

Date Shark will actually be available in paperback and ebook May 13th, 2014 from Limitless Publishing. I'm excited and super nervous for this release. It's my first book for grown ups!

Sunday, May 4, 2014

I'm up on the Sucker Literary Blog hop!

I was tagged by the wonderfully talented Jesi Lea Ryan. I won a copy of Jesi's YA paranormal novel, Arcadia's Gift a while back and we became fast friends! I can't recommend her work enough, so here's where you can find it...

So, here are my answers to the Blog Hop questions about one of my many WIPs

1) What am I working on?

Let me pick from the list of various books I'm currently working on... How about Date Shark #2? Maybe that's a bad choice since it doesn't have a title yet, but oh well. Book 1 in the series will be released later this month on Ma 13th, but I'm already busy planning out the second book, in which readers will step away from Eli and Leila's story and get a look at the world of Guy Saint Laurent. BTW, his name is pronounced "Gee." It's French and he gets really annoyed when people don't get it right.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

New Adult is a fast growing genre, but there seems to be a few misconceptions about the definition of the genre. NA does not mean explicit content in and of itself. Many NA books do have adult content, making them 18+, but not all of them. Mine included. As many of my YA fans know, it don't write about sex and my characters rarely use bad language. My Date Shark characters do fall int he NA range, but the focus is on their personal struggles, not what goes on in their bedrooms.

3) Why do I write what I do?

I'll admit that I'm nervous to switch genres and start writing for adults. That doesn't mean I'm abandoning my YA readers, of course, but I wanted to make the switch because I think good clean romances have a place in the market. Personally, I don't like that hitting a certain age as a reader means you have to trade sweet romance for ones filled with explicit content. I think that's why so many adults still read YA, because they don't want all of that. My teenage nieces read a lot of my books. Eventually they won't be teens anymore, but I still want to be able to give them books I feel comfortable having them read.

4) How does my writing process work?

My writing process has changed drastically over the last few years. I used to be a pantser through and through, but I don't have time anymore to rewrite huge sections after writing myself into a hole, or change my mind about a story aspect in book 3 and go back and redo sections to accommodate that. I still don't love outlining, but it's become necessary for me to at get a basic outline down on paper before I start writing so I don't waste time. I'm still happy to let my character take the lead and make changes when necessary, but it helps to know their end goal before I let them take the reins.

NOW AVAILABLE (RELEASED TODAY):

WICKED POWER by DelSheree Gladden

“Wicked Power is what he craves. He collects it and turns it into wicked glory—the glory of ruling everything and everyone.”

Even after Vanessa and Zander Roth barely survive the Eroi's attempt to expose them for what they are, they aren't safe. Sitting balanced on the edge of impending death and unthinkable power, they reluctantly turn to the other Godlings for help.

What they find and learn while being trained by the arrogant leader makes them question whether they are being trained to be a weapon for good or evil. Soon enough, Van and Zander find themselves once again on opposing paths.

A lot of things happen to Godlings as they near their sixteenth birthday, including the impending full strength of their hunger. When Van starts exhibiting some strange abilities, which include a heightened intuition and frightening visions of the future, she soon learns that she's not like the others. She knows she must do everything she can to protect her secrets from their leader, who will use her as a weapon if he finds out. Thankfully, Van is not alone. She has the help of her best friend—and the one boy she shouldn't be falling in love with—Ketchup.

While Van is dealing with her own problems, Zander finds himself embracing the training of the Godlings, even though their methods are cruel and harsh. He finds himself clinging to the hope that he can redeem himself, even after falling into Ivy's trap and putting their family's lives in danger. Along the way, Zander finds himself falling for an unlikely accomplice, who has him wondering if he even loved Ivy at all.

Redemption and protection both take a backseat when a shocking discovery puts everything they have worked for in jeopardy. The choice between safety and freedom has never been more important, and in the end… they may not have a choice at all.

Wicked Power is the second book in the all-new paranormal series, Someone Wicked This Way Comes.

GET BOOK 1 FOR FREE!

WICKED HUNGER by DelSheree Gladden

FREE KINDLE BOOK! KINDLE FREEBIE!

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing

“Save him and hurt him, don’t save him and hurt him. Pain, either way. Delicious pain. Hunger will be the only one that wins. Hunger always wins.”

Vanessa and Zander Roth are good at lying. Their whole life is a giant web of deceit made in an effort to conceal the deadly secrets that plague their family.

Zander will do anything to forget his mistakes, including pushing everyone away. He was barely surviving in his self-forced solitude before Ivy Guerra entered his life. The new girl in school, with her pink-striped hair and unyielding curiosity, incites something wicked inside Zander that can only be blamed on his family genes. Now Zander is forced to fight an internal war and make a choice between loving Ivy Guerra and killing her.

Vanessa wants nothing more than to shed the strange powers she wields and be normal. Because if Van were normal, she’d be able to have normal things… Like a relationship with the boy she’s been secretly in love with for years. Unfortunately, her life is anything but ordinary. That boy who owns her heart just happens to be her brother’s kryptonite and a potential liability for her entire family. When choices between love and family loyalty have to be made, Van finds herself faced with an impossible decision.

As if the Roth family needs anything more to worry about, a vicious plot to expose Van and Zander for what they are is uncovered. When it becomes apparent that someone close to them is at the center of this devious plan, the fight to maintain control and keep their cover ensues. It's a seemingly impossible battle because something is causing their powers to stir stronger than ever before… and it won’t stop until Van and Zander give in to their wicked hunger.

Wicked Hunger is the first book in the all-new paranormal series, Someone Wicked This Way Comes.

KIRKUS REVIEW OF WICKED HUNGER

Teenage siblings with a dark secret find their lives complicated by the arrival of a mysterious girl.

Zander and Van are tougher and heal faster than ordinary teenagers. However, the price is a terrible, mysterious hunger—a bloodlust that becomes intensified by specific individuals. Younger Van does her best to suppress it so she can have friends and a normal life; Zander instead keeps everyone at arm’s length and warns Van that once her 16th birthday hits and her powers reach full strength, she should do so as well. Ivy, a new girl—cousin to one of Van’s friends—puts everything at risk. Both Zander and Van hunger to hurt her, but Zander falls for her in a push-pull love story reminiscent of Twilight, right down to Zander’s sneaking into Ivy’s room to watch her sleep. Van, however—when she’s not busy with a love triangle of her own, with a mysterious boy she’s just met and her trusty best friend, Ketchup—is suspicious that certain things don’t add up with Ivy. The conclusion, made strong by unraveling secrets and formula-shattering twists, sets up a sequel.

The pairing of a formulaic start and formula-breaking ending makes the book ideal for paranormal-romance readers seeking a new spin on the familiar. (Paranormal romance. 13-17)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

DelSheree Gladden lives in New Mexico with her husband and two children. The Southwest is a big influence in her writing because of its culture, beauty, and mythology. Local folk lore is strongly rooted in her writing, particularly ideas of prophecy, destiny, and talents born from natural abilities. When she is not writing, DelSheree is usually reading, painting, sewing, or working as a Dental Hygienist. Her works include Escaping Fate, Twin Souls Saga, The Destroyer Trilogy, and Invisible. The first book in the Someone Wicked This Way Comes series, Wicked Hunger, is scheduled to be released through Clean Teen Publishing on April 1, 2014.

Want to READ MORE from Clean Teen Publishing?

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